1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a paper feeding device for a recording apparatus, and more particularly a paper feeding device wherein several thousand sheets of paper can be loaded simultaneously.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A paper feeding device with the structure shown in Japanese Patent Publication No. 21696/1980, for example, has been known in the past as a paper feeding device used in an electrophotographic copying machine among others. Specifically, this paper feeding device comprises a paper feeding roller that is made of frictional material, and is supported horizontally, a fanning out rubber plate made of frictional material that is ordinarily in pressure contact with the circumferential surface of said paper feeding roller and prevents the multiple feeding of plural papers, and a paper feeding tray on the top surface of which a large number of papers can be loaded; one end of the device is rotatably supported at a fixed position, and the force of a spring is applied so that the free end thereof is in pressure contact with the circumferential surface of said paper feeding roller. In the paper feeding device with such a structure, therefore, the top sheet of paper of the papers loaded on the paper feeding tray is in pressure contact with the circumferential surface of the paper feeding roller, under pressure from the force of the spring, and the sheets are fed out one by one by the driving force of the paper feeding roller and the deterrent force of the fanning out rubber plate. With such a structure, however, if a large number of papers are loaded on the paper feeding tray simultaneously, the force of pressure contact caused by the spring varies extremely and therefore, the quantity of papers to be loaded on said paper feeding tray is limited to 200 to 300 sheets at the best.
Incidentally, a simultaneous copying process for a large number of sheets has been requested for a recent electrophotographic copying machine. In such a case, a frequent supplying of the copying paper on the paper feeding tray is needed for the paper feeding device as explained above, which imposes a troublesome work on a copying operator.